In the era of destination weddings, it seems as though lovebirds can tie the knot almost anywhere in the world. But now, a company wants to take it one step further by letting couples say their vows in space.
The company, known as Space Perspective, is offering the adventure for a whopping $125,000 per couple. The waitlist is already full, with couples hoping to make their big day an out-of-this-world affair.
Getting married in space isn’t as crazy as it may seem, but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. The company has a special spacecraft called Neptune that can hold eight passengers and a pilot in comfortable seats. It flies to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere, reaching an altitude of 100,000 feet, where couples can enjoy views that are out of this world. The Neptune also has massive windows for those all-important wedding photos.
Unlike most space missions, Neptune doesn’t use a rocket to blast off into orbit but instead uses a special type of balloon. This makes it safer and more accessible to anyone who can fly with a commercial airline. Co-founder Jane Poynter tells TheCoolDown that the company has several couples interested in getting married on board the Neptune in 2024. She adds that they won’t be blasted right out into space but will reach an altitude high enough to see the curvature of Earth and the darkest reaches of the universe.
The first ever space wedding took place in 2003 when Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko married Ekaterina Dmitrieva, a U.S. citizen of Russian descent, while he was on the International Space Station. They vowed their love over a satellite video link between Houston and the station, with her wearing a white dress and him in his standard flight suit.
Although the marriage didn’t last, it had a lasting impact. Malenchenko went on to spend two more years in space, making him the second longest-serving cosmonaut in history. But his space-wedding stunt did cost him a promotion, and even today, the contracts that cosmonauts sign before a mission have a clause banning them from marrying while in orbit.
But now that a private space travel company is offering the experience, maybe other astronauts will feel compelled to break that rule. That would certainly be an interesting way to celebrate a milestone. We’ll just have to wait and see.